KEF speaker review | Kef Q950 vs Martin Logan and others

[@dicmccoy]

I've had my Q950's for 2 years now. There are things they're great at, and others not so much. Kef really cut a lot of corners on it which is unfortunate. The vinyl wrap is poorly done. I ripped mine off, knocked down the edges and painted them. The lower half of the cabinet isn't braced very well so there are resonances with it. The crossover is very cheaply done. I find the bass on the Q950's to be on the slow slide and missing some details. They do soundstage and image very well and the treble is very smooth. They did take a long time to break in. I didn't like them at first but started to smooth out after 2 weeks and finished smoothing out after a month. I won't be going Kef again going forward. I did just order the ML 60XTi's. Can't wait for them to arrive later this week. :)

[@airetheaterdesigns]

We agree on the vinyl. Ours is torn as well. NOTE: If the bass seems slow, try to pull the speakers away from corners and check out our video on "3 ways to set up tower speakers". This may help with the sound of the KEFs and your new speakers. Enjoy!

[@dicmccoy]

@@airetheaterdesigns it's just the speaker itself. I can tell my how well or not how well my JL subs integrate with my speakers. I'm minimum 2ft away from any wall boundary. My subs have zero issues vanishing in the room when paired with my Focal Chorus 714s, but with the Kefs, they stick out like a sore thumb. I have Dirac in my NAD and when I turn the subs on & off and listen to the differences in the quality of the bass. The Kef just isn't on the same level. I use silver coated cables on my subs, and noticed when I go to a pure copper sub cable, it dumbs down the leading edges on the subs and then they vanish in the room when paired with the Kefs but leave me wanting what used to be there.

[@dicmccoy]

@@airetheaterdesigns Any thoughts on the Anthem STR integrated amp? I'm thinking long and hard on it for my next upgrade to pair up with the 60XTi's.

[@Aglai76]

You make a lot of valid points (as a former Kef q950 owner [they were least in a fire last week]) But I don't understand why people bring up bass in terms of bookshelves or towers. That's what a aub is for (I had a Rel HT-12)

[@bedbath9056]

I auditioned KEF Q, LS50/Meta, Martin Logan Motion, I ended up buying Martin Logan and LS50. The folded ribbon tweeter is just in another league than Q series. I use ML for home theater LS50s for my office.

[@airetheaterdesigns]

We thought the Motion series were pretty special as well. We voted the Motion 60XTi as our speaker of the year for 2020 and 2021.

[@JohnSeitz]

@@airetheaterdesigns would you still go 60xti over q950 - for Home theatre without a sub?

[@bedbath9056]

@@JohnSeitz I also auditioned Q950 vs LS50 and LS50 Meta, and Blade :) Blade is another species, but Martin Login Tweeter beats LS and Q series in my opinion, can't compare. I say go audition ML speakers, I know Q950 looks really good but soundwise ML beats KEF Q series and LS50 for my ears. But you have to like Folded Ribbon Tweeter, some people dont like it. but I do. :)

[@JohnSeitz]

@@bedbath9056 thx!! How’s the dual 8’s on the ML for home theatre use with out a sub? Compared to the 950s. I assume the 950 towers play wider soundstage wise.

[@airetheaterdesigns]

@@JohnSeitz I would. Personally I think the Motion 60XTi are a better sounding speaker. However, they should be when you are looking at retails of $2200/pair for the KEF and $3850/pair for the Motion 60XTi. Right now we are selling our ML demos at a substantial discount and many other places are as well SO you may find that the price difference between the two is much closer than it normally is.

[@sergedacunha6028]

Thanks for the great job. Good video. I’m on a situation where I m hesitating between Focal Aria 926 and Kef Q950. The room is 45 m2 . What do you recommend? Thanks I’m advance

[@airetheaterdesigns]

I would definitely listen to the 2 to see what sound characteristic you prefer. The Focals are around 2X the price so if they are close in sound to you, this would be a consideration. The Focals sound great with certain instruments (we had referenced cymbals in an earlier video) and the KEFs excel in other areas (imaging, strings).

[@sergedacunha6028]

@@airetheaterdesigns thanks a lot for the answer. Here in French the Kef and Focal are at a similar price point. 1 800 € for the Keff and 2 000€ for the Aria.Today I have a Davis acoustics Monitor One and I have an issue to fill the the room with these speakers. So I m searching a speaker that can solve my issue.

[@airetheaterdesigns]

@@sergedacunha6028 Are you sure you weren't looking at the 826s instead of the 926s? The 826s are around the same price...the 926s are not.

[@sergedacunha6028]

@@airetheaterdesigns Yes Aria 926. As Focal is a French company potentially perhaps we have lower prices . The difficulty is to find where to listen the Kef Q950 here.

[@spazzychalk]

How sharp are the highs? All cool technical stuff aside, for a dedicated room, how would you compare the sound of these to the Q Concept 50? (I have a Denon x3800h) How would you compare this to the Bowers & Wilkins 700 Series (the best sound in that showroom)?

[@airetheaterdesigns]

The highs are accurate with a small touch of edge....more so than their Meta series. Compared to Q Concept 50...couldn't tell ya...haven't heard them. B&W...the 700s are better with midrange and have more accurate presence/imaging with highs BUT the highs are sharper. Great for guitar but maybe not so much if you are "I hate high frequencies" guy. If you're asking about the S3s, they are also a $7K/pair of speakers. IMO the Q950s are excellent at $2200.00/pair. You also don't need ridiculous amplification to make them sound good. They sound great to us on a Yamaha step-up receiver in our demo room. Please buy them through the links in our description if you find us helpful. If you don't like them you can throw them back at Amazon. P.S. You'll probably like them a lot...we like them a lot.

[@DynamteKid316]

Earned a sub.+like! Thank you!

[@airetheaterdesigns]

Thanks for checking us out!

[@Rolandolamotta]

Excellent review all around on those speakers, very well done.

[@airetheaterdesigns]

Thanks for the good word!

[@rosenlazarov]

Did you let them play for a while before auditioning them? Mine took at least 100 hours to fully unleash on the bass response!

[@airetheaterdesigns]

We did. We had them for a few months prior to performing our listening demos and review.

[@michael-4k4000]

they take years to fully break in....

[@Birmingham_racing]

How's it sound for movies? I don't want to get a receiver and go full surround I've got too much stuff in my room so don't have space for surrounds. Music is my first priority so not going down the soundbar option because it's too much sacrifice with music

[@airetheaterdesigns]

In most cases, a good music speaker is a good movie speaker. The physical characteristics that provide accuracy, punch and detail are beneficial for both solutions. With that said, these would work very well for video in a 2 channel stereo system due to their clarity with vocals (see the part in the video about the brain havin' to do some figurin') and their bass. Happy Thanksgiving!

[@zookinthe6ix461]

If it was for your own personal usage, what would you choose for movie and music. Kef q950 or klipsch 8000f.

[@airetheaterdesigns]

They both have a very different sound signature. Our team member Mark bought the Kefs for himself. In our opinion: Kef: Better imaging, a tad smoother, wider dispersion (better for off-axis seating) Klipsch: More dynamic, a bit more "live", more focused/narrow dispersion. In a room that is more dead acoustically (carpets, minimal windows, soft objects), these can be a great choice.

[@zelko0768]

What crossover would you recommend for the 950s

[@airetheaterdesigns]

There are multiple schools of thought about this point. See our Large vs Small article here: www.airetheaterdesigns.com/blog/item/301-tower-speakers If you have them on Small, I would probably cross them over at 60Hz. This is dependent on the room. See our notes in the article above that detail what you may hear between Large and Small.

[@zelko0768]

Thanks guys

[@airetheaterdesigns]

@@zelko0768 Enjoy 'em. We think they rock!

[@dcc5049]

I have a home theatre system built around 2 pairs of the older KEF Q900's. The system also includes a KEF Q600C and a KEF R400B sub. I agree that with big almost full range speakers you miss out on too much if you set the sub crossover to 80hz and above like many suggest. After much experimenting I've found in my system that it sounds best (to my ears) when I set the crossover for the Q900 front and rears at 40hz and the Q600C center at 50hz. The Q900's go down to 32hz which is lower than specified for the new model Q950. I once read an article that stated above 40hz you can begin to pick source direction bellow 40hz you can't tell where it's come from. With that in mind if your surround speakers can get down near 40hz you will hear a more faithful representation of what the mixing engineer intended in the surround mix.

[@airetheaterdesigns]

@@dcc5049 We are with you that running your speakers full-range can sound better in many rooms although most forums would be aghast if you said such a thing. See our article re: Large vs Small settings below. www.airetheaterdesigns.com/blog/item/301-tower-speakers

[@Studioaudio1]

How are these vs the Martin 60s you reviewed?

[@airetheaterdesigns]

The MLs are more detailed and have more mid-range attack + content. The KEFs MIGHT image better. Right now the MLs are being closed out and are at a heck of a deal. Sounds is subjective so it makes sense to audition both if they are of interest. Ex: Our Project Manager Mark has the KEFs personally. I have the MLs as they sounded slightly better to me..

[@hdtvkeith1604]

Nice video. Are those ML 40is there? Would love to see a review on the ML 40i and 30i center.

[@airetheaterdesigns]

We had the 60s on display when we did this video. We had the 20s on display previously and they sound really good. The 40s are like the 20s on steroids as they use many of the same design elements. The 60s add a different tweeter, 3-way design and a different crossover network. They are a different beast. For the $$$, I would opt for the 20s and put the additional $$$ into a 2nd subwoofer over the 40s.

[@hdtvkeith1604]

@@airetheaterdesigns Thank you. I actually have 2 PSA V1800 subs. I am looking to upgrade my front stage from Klipsch RP-280F / RC-62ii . My short list is the ML 40i (maybe 60XTi) with 30i (or 50XTi) or the Polk R700/R400. I am looking for flay response and neutral front stage for mucks that can also do movies.

[@airetheaterdesigns]

@@hdtvkeith1604 To do your due diligence, I would check out the 60XTi along with the 50Xti center. These are a step-up in sound quality from the 40s/30 combination. The Polk is flatter to me but IMO the Martin Logan sound much better. Give 'em both a listen and see what you think. I like the edge and focused sound of the ML over the Polk but that's just my ear.

[@hdtvkeith1604]

@@airetheaterdesigns Thank you so much for you advice. I need to try and find a place locally that has both for me to audition. Keep up the great videos.

[@hdtvkeith1604]

@@airetheaterdesigns How would you compare the ML 60XTi/50Xti with the Kef Q950 matched with a Kef R2c center?

[@tunesart4542]

Is kliptch RP series or Kef Q series better for home theatre ?

[@airetheaterdesigns]

One of our guys bought the KEF for himself. KEF: Better imaging, wider dispersion (better for off-axis seating) Klipsch: More dynamic, brighter and bigger sound. Focused dispersion can add clarity in live rooms. NOTE: This can be great for Home Theater.

[@tunesart4542]

@@airetheaterdesigns thank you for answering, is it possible to eq out some of kliptchs brightness ? What would be the ideal reciever (power) for kliptch RP 8000 using in a surround sound ? Build quality solid with kliptch RP series

[@michael-4k4000]

Wait, they charge extra for the grills?

[@airetheaterdesigns]

They do. Speakers actually sound worse with grilles on so maybe this is their thinking. You need to be aware of this if you buy these though.

[@ferrisburgh802]

@@airetheaterdesigns One reason to use grills is that you lower the risk of speaker cone damage by accidentally hitting them with vacuum cleaner hose attachment or if you have cats, scratching them. As for charging for the grills, that's crazy.

[@airetheaterdesigns]

@@ferrisburgh802 Agree. Grilles definitely reduce the appeal of three-year-old driver finger pokers as well (my 3 year old nephew destroyed my tweeters a long time ago once he found out how fun they are to poke).

[@michael-4k4000]

​​@Aire Theater Designs I have young children and speakers will sound much worse when my 4 year old sticks play doo in the woofer, not sure speakers sound worse with the grills or if it's some5hing one could tell in a blind test, but they should come with grills..... heck when I was a kid I used to push the the woofers of my father's 3 way Sonys, so he kept the grills on lol....

[@michael-4k4000]

What about Mark Levison?

[@airetheaterdesigns]

What about them?

[@michael-4k4000]

Or Krell? High end stuff are they not?

[@pradheepvelusamy9308]

Does Q950 & 650C suit for 24 ft * 16 ft room

[@airetheaterdesigns]

No problem. Depending on the room, acoustic make-up and desired experience, I would go with multiple subwoofers as well.

[@pradheepvelusamy9308]

@@airetheaterdesigns sir one of my friend suggested that it would not have throw capacity for such a big room.

[@airetheaterdesigns]

@@pradheepvelusamy9308 Your friend is wrong. Pressurization is more important with subwoofers and this is where multiple subs can be beneficial for large rooms but you'll get plenty of volume and dispersion with the KEFs in a room like you described.

[@pradheepvelusamy9308]

@@airetheaterdesigns Thanks for the support sir. Thanks again.

[@Birmingham_racing]

I'm running these with powernode

[@airetheaterdesigns]

Nice! How has the software with Bluesound been for you? Any bugs or issues or has it been solid?

[@Birmingham_racing]

@@airetheaterdesigns it can be buggy but fine 80% of the time. Only had it week and a half and went abroad for 6 weeks. 4 weeks to go I'm missing them like mad

[@irnational7884]

thanks

[@airetheaterdesigns]

Thank you! We will be reviewing some of our new toys shortly including the KEF R3 Meta bookshelves, LSX IIs and the ML XTF100 tower pair. Stay tuned!

[@irnational7884]

@@airetheaterdesigns i ran accross your channel by chance. i'll keep watching. thanks again.

[@officialpoa3171]

*It is beyond hilarious how these companies can RE-PHILOSOPHY a simple existing concept and give it the appearance of something NEW in order to instill VALUE. I mean COME-ON🙄 "Uni-Q technology", nah man ITS GOD DAMN COAXIAL SPEAKER. ....SMH. I guess you know hate the game not the player.* 😐

[@forog1]

Yeah, like this is for real lol. Like if you do bus those speakers just replace it with a coaxial from popular aftermarket brands used in cars like Skar, CT Sound and JBL etc etc and probably sound better lol. So yeah... This is not new, its decades old, and UNI-Q is cringe just call it Coaxial designed which is still very great to use for in home use to. Not sure what took so long tbh.

[@77Dok77]

So you're telling me that if the mid and the tweeter are on a different plane they can be slightly out of phase near the xover frequency due to the sound from each speaker arriving at your ears at a different time?? "No, it's aliens."

[@airetheaterdesigns]

KEF is actually telling you that but yes...we agree. Sounds travels at 343 m/s and if the drivers are at different distances from your ear, your ear is going to pick these up at a different time.

[@77Dok77]

@Aire Theater Designs Its not aliens?

[@airetheaterdesigns]

@@77Dok77 There's about a 64% chance that it's aliens but yes...it's definitely the result of aliens.

[@michael-4k4000]

Kef technology is from Alien technology..... What about BOSE?

[@airetheaterdesigns]

Bose is definitely technology from Earth.

[@adrianmixit1998]

Martin Logan all the way.

[@airetheaterdesigns]

Martin Logan does rock.

[@carlproctor9101]

I have q150

[@tj-yb1pc]

Wtf how about playing the speakers for a minute

[@airetheaterdesigns]

We played them for hours. The beauty and presence of these might be lost through the $4.96 speakers on your computer so you'll have to take our word for it.